ShePirate
by Angel's Angel
Summary: The Rikkai's ship is sinking! But they were saved by a female pirate, and a young one at that... what? She's also one of the most known pirate on the sea? But she didn't have any memories of her past, who is she actually?
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own Prince of Tennis!**_

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_**She-Pirate**_

_**Prince of Tennis/Tenipuri story**_

A ship is sailing on the sea. A storm is coming by and the crew is getting ready while some panics, trying to save themselves and others.

"Lower the sail! The storm is going to hit us!"

"Captain! Our ship is sinking!"

"Abandon ship!"

"Yukimura! Where are you?!" Sanada yelled desperately, looking for his sick wife.

"Yukimura!"

"G-Genichirou…?" Sanada whipped his head and saw a woman on her knees, leaning to the walls. Sanada quickly ran towards his wife and embraced her.

"Thank goodness you're alright…" Sanada whispers, gently kissing Yukimura's forehead.

"Mother! Father!" Sanada turned and saw Akaya, sweat and water dripping down from his son's face.

"Akaya! Got a hold on something!" Sanada yelled as the waves hits the ship. Akaya moved closer towards his parents and Sanada grabbed a hold of his son.

"Where's Renji?"

"Renji-san is s-still outside."

"How about Niou and Yagyuu? Marui and Jackal?"

"They're with Renji-san…" Another wave hit before water started gushing into the ship. Sanada held Yukimura tighter as Akaya wobbled towards outside.

"Akaya!" Yukimura yelled.

"I'm going to see if there's something for us to escape!" Akaya yelled before he was hit by a big wave.

"Akaya!" scramed Yukimura.

"He'll be fine… he'll be fine. Our son will be fine…" Sanada whispered, trying to sooth his terrified wife before everything sank.

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"Mister, you should wake up now." Sanada grunted and opened his eyes, only to see a young girl staring at him with dark eyes that even made the great Sanada shivers.

"Who are you?" Sanada said when he gained his full conciousness. He tried to grab the pocket-knife he had in his belt and was shocked to see the young girl smirking, hands gripping on the familiar pocket knife.

"Sorry, mister. But I'll be taking this, you're in my ship after all." The young girl said. Sanada's eyes widened, this young girl in front of her… is a captain?!

"No knives are allowed except for the crews here, mister. Oh, I think you should worry about your family more than yourselves." Sanada was shocked when he saw Yukimura on the bed next to his and jumped towards her.

"Be careful, mister. Your wife is sleeping and you don't want to hurt her." The girl might be smiling cheekily, but Sanada could see the dark eyes and lack of emotion from her.

"Who are you, exactly?"

"Me? I'm a pirate, Miko's the name." the young girl said as Sanada's eyes widened once more. He remembered Yanagi had mentioned a female pirate that sails on the sea, the only female pirate that reigns on the sea. Everything was controlled by her hands. Yanagi had never mentioned anything more since there was limited information, but he never knew that she could be this young.

"Your crew is also waiting for you to awake, mister. You should hold that son of yours, if I see him trying to order people around once more, he'll be thrown out to the sea… or worst." Sanada shivered at her words. Sanada watched the young girl walked towards the door, he could see pride and power from her footsteps, but he could also see something hidden in those eyes of hers. Young girls like her supposed to be happy and smiling happily, what could've happened to make this young girl here on the vast sea? Miko opened the door and few people fell on the floor. Miko just walked through them, stepping on some and closed the door shut.

"Who does that girl think she is?!" Niou grumbled, his girlfriend, Hiroko nudged his ribs.

"Be quiet, she'll throw you out if she hears you." She said.

"Who is she, exactly?" Marui, the look-out girl said.

"She's the captain of this ship. Miko, unknown past, an orphan who was found floating on the water. The strongest pirate on the sea who rules everything that happens on the sea." Yanagi said.

"But she's so young!" Jackal said.

"Everything could happen… if you're abandoned on the sea…" Yanagi said.

"Father! Is mother alright?!" Akaya said, rushing to his mother who's still resting on the bed.

"She will be, if you kept your mouth shut." Every head turned to the door and saw Kumiko, holding a pack. Kumiko then threw the pack to Sanada who caught it and opened the pack, only to see some medicine, ones that he had never seen before.

"Give that to your wife, let her rest, and she'll be fine. You trust me or not, I don't care. But remember, you're in my ship, Rikkai royal family." Everyone gasped as Miko let out a small smirk and left the room.

"H-How did she knew?"

"Perhaps she saw the flag on our ship…" Yanagi then took the pack from Sanada's hands and looked at it.

"This medicine… is very rare. We could trust her, this is going to make Seiko better." Yanagi said as Sanada nodded.

"I didn't see anyone in the ship…"

"Didn't you see them? Those kids, men and women?" Marui gasped.

"You mean they are…"

"Yes, they are her crew… it seemed that she picked up people who floats on the sea and took them in. And in return for her hospitality, they will risk their lives for hers. I'm sure we can trust her." Yanagi said. Everything sunk in Sanada's head and he utters out a question.

"How did a young girl like her be void of emotions like I did?" Yanagi looked at Sanada and shook his head.

"I… do not know, Genichirou…" Sanada then nodded and proceed to feed Yukimura the medicine he got.

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That night, Yanagi was walking around the cabin when he felt someone approaches him.

"I advise you to stop looking on information about me, Mister Yanagi Renji." Yanagi turned his head and saw Miko behind him, eyes glaring.

"Then may I know how you knew about us in the first place?"

"Who wouldn't know one of the biggest kingdoms of mainland? Even the news come to my ears."

"Then I am very honoured, it seemed that you yourself also had been quiet known on the mainland."

"That's only because I have grudges on the mainland… they killed those who're precious to me… the killed my family on the sea… the dare to catch them and kill them…" Miko gritted her teeth.

"May I know your family then…?"

"The whales… the dolphins… I know you knew…" Miko said, voice getting more dangerous by the second. Yanagi had remembered few unknown declared kingdoms illegally caught whales and dolphins from the sea and killed them, almost making them extinct.

"They're…"

"They saved me, they're my family… that's why I happen to hate people from the mainland…"

"Then who are those people on your ship?"

"They… they were abandoned by people on mainland, and more reason for me for hating the mainland…" Miko hissed. Yanagi was shocked at how a young girl's mind seemed to already develop so far.

"Now if you excuse me… I have people to see and to take care of…" Miko said, walking through Yanagi. Yanagi watched the young girl walking and was surrounded by children before they disappears in the dark. Yanagi looked at the sea and thought.

'_What have they done to this girl…? What have __**we**__ done…?'_

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"Men! Raise the sails! Change course! We're heading towards the mainland!" When Kumiko had yelled that, the crew had stopped and looked at her before rushing to do what she told.

"Why are we going to the mainland, captain?" A woman said.

"I need to get those people off… I don't want to see them again. They're making my boiling with anger for no reason." Miko said as she sighed. The woman smilled and hugged her briefly before walking inside the cabin.

"Why are you turning the ship to the mainland?" Miko turned her head and saw Akaya.

"Ah, the son of the king. You're asking questions now?" Akaya held himself back, remembering what Yanagi had said to him about her having grudges against the mainland.

"Answer my question."

"I don't want to see you people on my ship and I'm returning you to where you once came from. Be grateful for that." Kumiko said, walked away from Akaya. The wind made her robe flutter. Akaya blinked his eyes, suddenly his face feeling warmer. He caught Miko's tender gaze towards the children and he had to walk away before he manage to gape and humiliate himself.

"Getting caught, Akaya?" Akaya jerked and saw Yagyuu leaning against the wood.

"What is it, Hiroko-san?"

"I mean, I notice you've been staring at her." Akaya felt his face grew warmer.

"H-Hiroko-san!"

"It's not a shame to like someone, but I have to say this… that girl, she seemed to have gone a lot more than we thought, her eyes is dark, as dark as the most deepest cave. She had gone through so much that we couldn't even understand how she feels. You should think about that." Yagyuu said as she turned around and walked away from Akaya.

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"Genichirou…?" Sanada eyes flew open when he heard his wife calling for him.

"I-I'm here, Yukimura… I'm here." Sanada said, sighing in relief for Yukimura's consiousness.

"I see that you're awake." Miko said from the door.

"What do you want?" Sanada said.

"Just checking, and here." Miko said, throwing few more familiar packs towards Sanada.

"You need them more than I do, take them." Sanada looked at Miko for a while before nodding.

"Thank you… you saved us…" Yukimura said. Miko felt her heart drop for no reason.

"It's nothing… families should never lose one another anyway…" Miko said, her voice almost breaking. Sanada caught the change of emotion in her eyes and was about to call before Miko had shut the door.

"She…"

"She seemed so sad… I wonder what happened to her…" Yukimura said.

"I don't know… I just… don't know…"

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Hiroko walked around under the starry night until she heard a small voice, speaking. Hiroko walked around and saw the ship's captain, Miko, leaning against the side with a small bird by her side.

"Hey… do you know who my family is…?" Hiroko heart broke, this is the first time she had heard that sweet voice coming out from the young girl.

"You know… I don't remember anything, the only thing I remember is when I wake up, I was saved by whales and dolphins. Then I pushed myself, fight every pirates and put myself to the top and changed every rules on the sea. I tried to make everyone who's the same as me happy, is that the right thing to do, birdie?" Miko asked as the bird chirped.

"But somehow whenever I got near the mainland I kept feeling this anger and urge to kill everything, that's why I decided to hate the mainland and keep away from there. I stayed on the sea, on the ship, now with my new family. And I'm happy now. But ever since I saw the Rikkai Queen, I don't know, she felt familiar, is that how mothers feels like? Those warm eyes? I don't know anymore, one thing I should do is that I should return them back, they have people waiting for them and I will go back to my usual life, here on the sea." Yagyuu see the serene smile Miko had on her face and she felt she could cry.

"What have the poor girl gone through to make her built up such façade?" She said to herself before returning to her room.

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_**Finally made stories again after such a long time...**_

_**Just for those who didn't know Miko=Kumiko is the same, just she forgot her name and only remember Miko**_

_**R&R!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I ran out of ideas _**_

_**I hope you still like this!**_

_**I do not own PoT!**_

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She-Pirate-2-**_

_**Prince of Tennis/Tenipuri story**_

One day, Sanada was sitting beside Yukimura. Sanada noticed how Yukimura's face changed when she saw Miko walked around the ship.

"What is it, Yukimura?"

"Miko… I really wanted to talk to her… she seemed so lonely…" Sanada knew Yukimura noticed how Miko's eyes lack of emotions and felt his heart grew cold.

"Her past must be too deep… Renji had mentioned she was found floating on the sea, before the dolphins saved her…"

"Poor girl… she's so young… she's even younger than Akaya."

"I know… she was like me…"

"But you changed."

"But she was worse, could she change like I did…?" Sanada wondered.

"Anything could happen… anything."

"I don't blame her for hating the mainland, she had countered wrong people…"

"I think she could change… inside of her, I'm sure there's someone who's waiting to be freed… can you call her for me? I want to at least talk alone with her…?" Sanada looked at Yukimura for a while before he nodded.

"If anything happened…"

"I know, I don't think she would do something as far like that." Sanada then nodded once more and walked out from the room.

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"You called for me?" Yukimura looked up from her lap and saw Miko walking into the room.

"Can I have a talk with you, Miko?" Miko looked at Yukimura with a raised eyebrow before nodded and sitting down on the chair the to the bed.

"Can I help you with something, Queen?" Yukimura shook her head.

"Don't be too formal, I don't think a pirate should be so formal."

"I'm not the same like others, madam." Miko said.

"I see that. But can I know something? How did you end up here, young girl?" Yukimura asked, noticed how Miko's shoulder stiffened.

"I'm sorry, I don't exactly remember. I don't remember any of my past except for how I woke up and saw the dolphins saving me and taking me in as their family." Miko said.

"I see… I'm sorry for bringing it up…" Yukimura said.

"Then… can I ask you something?"

"Anything at all."

"What… what does your kingdom look like?" Yukimura noted the curious glint Miko had in her eyes, like of a child.

"My kingdom? It was a very peaceful one, people rushing her and there around the markets, children playing happily… people sing, they dance, they work… and families."

"Last time I heard news of mainland… is that of war and killing… blood being shed, innocent people died in massacre. Ruthless people killing innocent families… innocent children…"

"That was long time ago, before our kingdom… and Seigaku's reign…"

"Seigaku Kingdom… one of the biggest kingdom there is on mainland… but, are people always that ruthless?"

"Not everyone, my child… people differs… they change… while some don't, and those who don't… will perish…" Yukimura said. Yukimura then gasped in shock when she noticed tears trailing down Miko's eyes.

"Child, what is wrong?"

"I don't know… but my eyes… my heart hurts… I don't know who my family is… my family is my crew… I don't know who my real family is… I'm tired… being a pirate is fun, but seeing people die, I can't…" Yukimura then placed her hand on Miko's should.

"It's alright to let it out child… keeping it inside is not good…" Little by little, sobs came, then the sobs turned into cries and finally, the cries turned into wails. Yukimura pulled Miko into her embrace and rubbed her back, soothing her.

"It's alright child… it's alright child…" Yukimura whispered, feeling her own heart broke, seeing the broken figure of the proud female pirate. When Miko's wails had died down, Miko rubbed her eyes and smiled a small smile.

"You have a beautiful smile, why do you have to keep it?" Yukimura asked.

"I… I tend to forgot how to smile… if it's not for the children… you could say they saved me from darkness… those smiles of their brightened my day, that's why I will die to protect them. I don't care much about being a pirate, the only thing I cared about… is protecting these innocent people on board…"

"I see…"

"Can you keep this from others? I don't want them to know… or to worry."

"Promise… and one more thing, anytime you want to talk, just come. I'll be here waiting for you." Miko gave another smile and nod before walking out from the room. When Miko had closed the door, Sanada came in and panics how tears suddenly poured out from Yukimura's eyes.

"Yukimura, is something wrong?" Sanada said, wiping the tears.

"No… but my heart hurts for Miko… she's still so young but she already experienced such…"

"The world is an unpredictable place… and the sea… is not a very bright place for a child…"

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"Hey there!" Marui jumped happily, seeing Miko walking alone on the deck.

"What is it?" Miko said, void of emotion.

"I was thinking, can I use the looking-out place? I've been itching to see the view!"

"Suit yourself." Miko said as Marui jumped happily and climbed the pole.

"M-Marui!" Jackal called worriedly.

"Hey, Jackal! It's great up here!" Marui said, waving excitedly.

"You should look after your girl, mister. It's not safe if she kept waving like that." Miko said before she walked away while Jackal was trying to get Marui down. Then Miko heard something that made her stiffen.

"Another ship is coming towards us!" Marui yelled before she jumped down. Miko looked at the distance before she scoffed.

"They never know when to learn… Men! Stay alert! The Rudolphs are here!" Miko yelled as everyone yelled out in anger, which made the Rikkai royals confused. When the ship Miko called Rudolphs stopped Yanagi saw few of their men jumped towards their side. Yanagi watched as Miko stood straight, with her crew behind her.

'They seemed to know each other.'

"Why hello, fancy meeting you again here, dear Miko." A man with wavy hair said.

"It's not my honor, Mizuki-san." Miko said.

"Why be so rude? I'm only here to greet you, now who do we have here? You have the royals with you? May I know why?"

"None of your business, parasite." Yanagi winced at the harsh word.

"My… why don't you get them to my ship? I'll bring them back mainland."

"And use them? I don't think so, I know who you are, Mizuki. Manipulative and sarcastic, I took them and I'm the one bringing them back."

"It'll be easier."

"Easier eh? Is that how you say to your superior, men?"

"Such words, and from a young lady as well."

"Well, try being in my place. And you'll know… how no one dares to mess with me and my crew. Haven't you learnt what happened last time?" Miko said, drawing her blade.

"Very well then, as you wish, my lady." Mizuki said, retreating to their ship as Miko's men cheered. Miko is very brave for acting that way, Yanagi thought. Then Yanagi caught the young prince looking at Miko's triumphant smile in awe and chuckled.

"And it seemed someone's in love." He said to himself.

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**_Read and Review please~_**

**_I would love to see what you guys think of my fic!_**

**_Thx a lot!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, since I have internet here in my cousin's apartment, might as well use it (and now I'm borrowing her netbook too)**

**I do not own Prince of Tennis, it belongs to Konomi-sensei**

**Kumiko (she still remembered her name as Miko in the story) is an** OC

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She-Pirate-3-**_

_**Prince of Tennis/Tenipuri story**_

For Miko's crew, it was not surprising how they sometimes see the young prince secretly glanced at their captain. Miko might be young, but her beauty is of a princess. Princess of the Sea, they said. Miko might be ruthless towards other pirates she doesn't like, but if she was alone with the crew, she was playful, kind and caring. The crew had hoped they could somehow made their captain happy, perhaps by looking for her family. But since they didn't know anything about their captain's past, they couldn't do anything.

"What are you doing here again?" Miko said, eyeing Akaya.

"What did you talk about with mother?"

"It's none of your business." Miko said, turning on her heels and walked away.

"Do you find me hard to trust to?" Miko stopped and stared at Akaya.

"If you had been in my place, I'm sure you would do the same, prince." Miko said, shocking Akaya with how icy her eyes had become when she said that.

"S-Sorry, I…"

"You wouldn't understand anyway, must be nice, living in a castle, all you need is just call your servant." Miko said, quickly walking away. Akaya was about to call her back, but his voice wouldn't come out. Akaya's heart clench, he just wanted to know her more, but apparently, he just made her even more wary of him.

"Seems like you just blew up." Akaya turned around and saw Yanagi.

"Y-yanagi-san!"

"Well?" Akaya then sighed and rubbed his head.

"I was just…"

"I know what you're trying to do, but Miko isn't like any other girls who just floated over to you. Miko is different, she's been here on the sea on her own since young, she's right, you should try being in her place." Akaya glared at Yanagi and walked away.

"You should think before you act, Akaya."

"Shut up."

"Just… try and relax for a while. Your rash acts is getting people timid." Yanagi said as Akaya scoffed and walked away.

"Well… he got his personality from his father…"

/

Kumiko was leaning against the railing on the deck, looking towards the sea as she felt the wind brushing her short hair. She closed her eye and savours the moment before she turned around and stared at Yanagi.

"Yanagi Renji-san, right?" Yanagi nodded and leaned at the railings next to Kumiko.

"Is something on your mind, captain?"

"What does the mainland look like…?"

"In our country, there are men working hard to feed their children, to keep their family going. Children running around spending their time, laughing in their own childish way and staying close to their parents. Women making food, taking care of their children, talking to one another. The streets were never empty with people going around, doing their things."

"No more wars?"

"No more wars, we made sure of that."

"Don't you have a rivalry relationship with the others Kingdoms?"

"Yes, we do, but we won't do it as far as making wars to dominate one another."

"Then… what do you do?"

"We do fencing, the one who lose would give up a land, but we were never greedy. We take what we needed, and sometimes we just do it for fun. We fence while we talk about our countries conditions, if one needs help and is deemed worthy of getting help, we will help."

"What do you mean by if one is deemed why of getting help?"

"Each kingdoms should take care of their own, right? And if one is indeed in need of help from another kingdom, we will give that help. If one can help ones own, then they should help themselves. That way will measure how advanced the kingdoms are."

"Oh, I see…"

"And the king and queen told me about your past. It was indeed one of those self-proclaimed Kingdoms that had done unforgivable exploitations of the sea. But those are already taken care of."

"But those who have been killed cannot be brought back." Kumiko said.

"That is true, but preventing the same thing from happening is also one of our duty, and we will make sure the same thing will never happen again."

"Can you stay true to your words then, Yanagi-san?"

"We will do the best we can, by repairing our laws and making agreements with other Kingdoms. But you of all people should know, not all people will listen or obey the laws if they think it gives them a disadvantage."

"Your kingdom, Rikkai, is one of the largest Kingdoms, right?"

"Yes, that is right. Hyoutei and Seigaku are also one of them. But now, our kingdoms are also measure by their skills in fencing. A fencing tournament is like a routine nowadays. But of course, our Kingdom is undefeatable."

"I can see that." Yanagi then noticed a change of attitude in the young pirate and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Do you have anything in mind that is bothering you? If I can help, I'd be glad to." Kumiko then looked at the hand on her shoulder and then she studied Yanagi's face.

"The Queen, has she always been this ill?" Kumiko said quietly.

"It was much worst before. Her body is very fragile, that's why the King couldn't leave her alone afraid she might get worst if he ever leaves."

"I see… She is a nice person…"

"You should know, she can be scarier than the king on some occasion. One of them is when she had enough of the king telling her to rest. She actually likes taking a walk, especially around the castle garden."

"A garden… is that a place where they grew flowers and other plants?"

"Yes, that is correct. May I ask you a question, Kumiko-san?"

"If I can give you an answer, you knew more than I do."

"No, it's more like a request. How about when we got to the land, you go and get yourself re-stocked? And that way, I can show you around our Kingdom."

"…"

"You won't know the mainland unless you come and see with your own eyes." Kumiko at first thought for a while and found Yanagi's words have some truth behind it and nodded.

"Perhaps I will for a while, but you can't force me to do anything."

"Why of course, just a bit touring around our kingdom is all I need."

"And if I may ask, Yanagi-san. The prince, Kirihara Akaya, was it? He seemed a bit… different somehow."

"What do you mean, Kumiko-san?" Kumiko then lifted her hand to stop Yanagi to say anything more.

"Please, call me by my name instead. I am not a person with formalities attached with my name."

"Very well then, but what do you mean by that, Kumiko?"

"He has been walking around on the ship, and he hasn't been saying anything to my crew. At first, he would go and stare at my crew, as if thinking about something. But now, he just talks casually with some of the men, even playing with the children. But I don't know if I can call it playing, wrestling and running around like that." Yanagi then smiled and shook his head.

"That is just how the prince is. He acted cold and hostile to people he doesn't know, and when he deemed that person worthy of his trust, he will trust them. But now, he is just being a child."

"I heard that, Yanagi-san." Both Yanagi and Kumiko turned back and saw Akaya scowling at them.

"Akaya, what are you doing? You should know better than to listen to other talking."

"But can I just stand there when I heard someone calling my name? And call me a child?"

"You are, that's what the King and Queen said." Yanagi said.

"Father and mother always looks at me like a child, I'm almost of age!"

"Then act your age." Both of them stopped their little argument when they heard a giggle and saw Kumiko giggling and shaking their heads.

"Is something amusing to you?" Akaya said, narrowing his eyes. Kumiko just shook her head and straightened herself up.

"I guess you are more interesting than I thought. I guess mainland isn't that bad once you knew them as you said, Yanagi-san." Kumiko said as Yanagi gave her a small smile and a nod.

"Thank you for talking with me, and for giving me answers on what I need to know. Good night." Kumiko said as she walked away and left Yanagi and Akaya on the deck.

"What did you two talk about anyway?"

"I was just answering her questions, Akaya. She has never stepped on the mainland before, and she just wanted to make sure that the mainland has changed from the past she knew for years."

"Oh."

"Not getting jealous, are you?"

"What?"

"Oh nothing, Akaya. Nothing at all."

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**So, what do you guys think?**

**Read and review please!**

**Thank you! ^w^**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Tenipuri, the great Konomi-sensei does!**

**I'm finally back home and now I have my wireless connection to exploit xD**

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She-Pirate -4-**_

"Mainland ahead!" Bunta yelled as she excitedly jumped around on the watching deck.

"Prepare the anchors, we're stopping!" Miko said as her crew saluted and started going around. Miko then approached the females of her crew and coughed to get their attention.

"We're going to re-stock. And I'll be seeing around, I'll be leaving the ship to you. Be careful." One woman approached her and placed her hands on Miko's shoulder.

"You be careful as well, child… we won't know what happened to us if you left. And we can't be there if something happened to you on mainland."

"I understand, keep the children safe. You shall show them what minorities can do if there are those who asked for trouble." The female cheered as the children followed. Miko nodded and smiled, feeling proud of her crew.

"Miko, can I talk to you?" Miko saw the queen of Rikkai beckoning for her to come with her and she looked back to her crew who nodded and her and continued doing their previous activities.

"Yes?"

"Renji told me, are you going to get re-stocked mainland?"

"Yes, and Yanagi-san wanted to show me some places of your kingdom, it'll be about time I know what mainland is like." Suddenly, the woman in front of her smiled widely as Miko tilted her head in confusion.

"Is there… something I can help you with?"

"If you don't mind, can you come by to our castle? It'd really love to give you something as thanks for bringing us back…"

"But I don't think I should leave my crew for too long, if something happened to the ship…"

"I will have Renji tell some of the officers to guard the ship, then your crew and buy stocks without worrying about the ship."

"But I…" Suddenly an elderly woman came and placed her hands on Miko's shoulder.

"I'm very sorry for listening, but perhaps you should go, dear." Miko looked up to the older woman and furrowed her brows.

"But everyone…"

"I'll make sure the rest of the crews are safe and back on the ship, and since the queen will have people guard the ship, I think the men can rest assure, can't they? But I'll tell them to still stay alert."

"But I…"

"Are you going to refuse the queen's request? I know you're a pirate dear, but you should know manners as well. And accepting a queen's request is a must, don't worry, I'll make sure everyone's alright."

"… Alright, I'll be leaving it to you. Be careful." Miko said as the old woman nodded. Then the elder looked towards the queen who smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, I'll make sure she'll be back unharmed." Yukimura said as the old woman nodded and walked away. Miko then sighed and smiled wryly at Yukimura.

"Really, is that all you wanted me to go there for, Yukimura-san? I don't think anyone would like seeing a pirate walking into a castle."

"Don't underestimate yourself, you might be known for a powerful pirate indeed. But you were known to exterminate those who did wrong deeds in the sea, and you're not an ordinary pirate either. You are the one who made the rule on the sea, and one who lives doing the rule. You are the rule itself, they say. And the pirates on the sea follow your rules, and do not hesitate to attack those from the mainland who broke those rules either. There were also people from my kingdom that was killed under your rule as well." Miko was silent through the whole time Yukimura was talking, not denying anything the Queen said.

"But those who were killed, were those who knew nothing of the sea and were rebels to the kingdom as well, and for that matter, I don't think anyone from the kingdom will never judge you. As seeing it was me who invited you, I don't think they have a say on anything, unless you were planning something behind me, that I didn't see through." Yukimura said as Miko chuckled with a dry sense of humor.

"You are not an ordinary queen as well, Yukimura=san. I can already sense your authority through your words."

"Thank you, then."

"Captain! We've anchored!"

"Good. Take care of the ship, I'll be back by the end of the day. I'm counting on you and everyone."

"Yes, captain!"

/

"So, this is the market, it sure is crowded." Miko said as she walked through the crowd of people behind Yanagi. Miko saw how the civilians would greet Yanagi who nodded in acknowledgement and would stare at her warily.

"It seemed that I'm not welcomed around here."

"It's because they have never seen you here, and also because I am leading you, making them think that you might be a criminal."

"Ah, you are the King and Queen's personal guard after all, childhood friend of the King, am I correct?"

"Yes. I've known the King since we were children, both of us grew up together. As well as the queen, we've known each other for quite a long time."

"A long time indeed, and where are we going?"

"I thought you might be interested how Kingdoms' borders are like, so I'm taking you to one of our borderline." Yanagi noticed the girl behind him now walking faster alongside him and knew that indeed, the girl is interested.

"Which border is it?"

"Ours and Seigaku's. I have an old friend there, he might be there, he might be not. But both of us are on good terms, both Kings and Queens have quite a close relationship."

"The Kingdom of Seigaku, a small Kingdom but grew larger ever since the change of King."

"Correct, King Tezuka Kunimitsu and Queen Fuji Syuusuke."

"Tezuka… Kunimitsu…" Miko suddenly whispered that made Yanagi stopped and looked towards her.

"Is something wrong, Miko?"

"No, it's strange… I didn't know their names… but somehow, it felt as if something is familiar with them, my head is a bit aching right now…"

"If you can't take it, we can get back to the castle since Seiko's waiting for you."

"No, I'm curious. A kingdom's border, I've heard from one of my crew, it was a village, right? A border can be marked by a village, or rivers."

"Yes, as long as that mark in question stays there forever and won't move places." Yanagi said as Miko nodded.

"One of my crew used to be a villager there, when he knew I'll be walking around, if I happen to come across that village, he wanted to give something to his family, telling him he's still alive and well…"

"You didn't let him go visit?"

"I told him to go by himself, but he said that his family didn't really worry about him, so he didn't think it'll be wise for him to go." Miko said as she sighed.

"If what he says is true, I hope you won't do anything rash." Miko stared at Yanagi and shrugged.

"I can't fight with my fist, but I might utter some words… so, can you stop me then, Yanagi-san?"

"If you needed to be stop, I will stop you."

"Thank you… I can't stop myself from saying something that hurts others when I'm too angry… my crew understands me, but I still feel I should be stopped…" Miko said as both of them stopped on a hill, overlooking a small village.

"We're here. That's the village we'll be entering." Both Yanagi and Miko then continued walking before two men stopped them.

"It's alright, it's me." Both men's eyes widened and one of them spoke.

"I've heard the ship sank, was it an attack?"

"It was a strong storm, we can't do anything about. But she saved us, ever heard of a pirate named Miko?" Once again, both men's eyes widened and both of them stared at Miko who kept her calm by breathing deeply and letting it out slowly before looking back to their stares with her calm and emotionless eyes.

"The rumored most powerful pirate on the sea? This little girl?" Kumiko's eyebrow twitched and she gritted her teeth.

"I would keep my mouth if I speak to others if I were you." Kumiko said calmly before Yanagi shook his head.

"She is."

"Do you think she's planning something by bringing you back? She is a pirate after all, even if she's a girl." Kumiko heard one of the men whispered and gritted her teeth.

"As she said, you might need to watch what you're speaking. She has great senses, and that means, she heard what you said. And the Queen trusts her, is that proof enough?"

"Yanagi-san, please refrain from saying anything more." Yanagi chuckled as Kumiko walked pass both men after shooting them a deadly glare.

"Very well, please don't walk too far from me, Miko. You might catch someone's attention." Yanagi said as both of the entered the small village. Miko's eyes then wandered around, looking around to the people walking back and forth, some busy with their works and men pulling crates consist of their harvest of the season. Yanagi watched Miko as the girl looked around, and noticed a light in her eyes, a curious glint as how a child would after seeing something they have never seen before.

"Is there something you wanted to see, Miko?"

"It's a small village, but it is crowded…" Miko said before she heard a child's cry. She turned around and saw a young girl crying for her mother in the corner, hugging her knees. Kumiko suddenly felt a pang in her chest and quickly walked towards the girl. Yanagi saw Miko suddenly walked away and quickly followed her before he stopped when he saw the girl Miko walks to. The young girl looked up from her knees and saw Miko kneeling in front of her with a small smile on her face.

"Don't cry… are you lost?" The young girl nodded before Miko placed her hand on the girl's head.

"Don't cry, everything's gonna be alright. Your mother must be very worried about you now, and she must be looking for you. You can't just stay here, you should look for your mother too. I'll help you."

"Really onee-chan? You'll help me look for mommy?"

"Of course." Yanagi smiled when she saw the lost young girl took Miko's hand and stood up. Miko then walked together with the small girl while the girl showed her where she last saw her mother.

"I was here with mommy, she was talking with a friend when I walk away. But when I got back, mommy's not there…"

"It's okay, we'll find her soon." Miko assured the girl who nodded and both of them kept on walking while Yanagi follows from behind. Miko then heard a woman screaming and the girl beside her quickly run towards the woman who is yelling in the middle of the crowd, looking for her daughter. Kumiko watches with a smile as the young girl hugged her mother as she cries. Yanagi then stood alongside Miko and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We should be going, you're looking for your crew's family member, right?"

"Yes. She found her mother now, she won't get lost anymore. Not like I did." Miko said as she turned and walked away while gripping the paper one of her crew gave her that showed an address. Yanagi watches the young pirate walked away before shaking his head and followed the girl looking for the address.

/

Miko stopped in front of a house, not too big, not too small and is quite perfect for a small family to live in. Miko looked back at the paper before knocking at the door while Yanagi watches from the side. The door opened, and Miko saw a small child's head peeking out from the door, looking curiously at her.

"Who are you?" Miko couldn't help but smile and knelt down to be at the same heights as the child.

"Is your mother home…?" The child looked curiously at Miko before running back inside, yelling for his mother. Kumiko waited and saw a woman walking out while holding the eager child's hand, pointing towards the waiting Miko.

"Is there something I can help you with, Miss?" Miko stood up straight and dusted her clothes before handing the paper she had in her hand, as well as a bag.

"These are something someone wanted you to have, and you might need to read that letter." Miko said as the woman looked towards the letter then back to her before gently ripping the envelope and opened the letter. Miko watches as the woman watches and took a peek at the inside of the house. Miko smelled a sweet aroma of cake and how tidy the house seemed to be and thought that she should have forced her crew to come instead of her. It was a shame, not coming back to such a good family. Miko saw the small child looking up to her and she smiled before noticing the woman shed out a tear and started sobbing. The child then looked up to his mother and pulled her hand.

"Mommy…?" Miko saw the woman wiped her tears and smiled to her.

"Are you the one named Miko then…?"

"Yes, I am. And I might need to ask, is he your husband?" The woman nodded and held onto the child.

"I knew he's alive, I didn't believe it when they say his ship sunk… he said he'll come home, he said he would, so I waited and waited… thank you…"

"He's a good person."

"Yes he is, that's why I love him. And this is my son, say hello to this nice miss." Miko smiled when the child bowed his head to her and looked towards the woman.

"Thank you so much for saving him, and for taking him in… he said he won't come back… it's okay, but I'll wait for him. He must have had a reason to not come back by himself. And thank you for bringing this to us."

"Go to the harbor, there's supposed to be royal guards watching over the ship, just show this to them and I'm sure they'll let you see him. And if he still refuses to come back, tell him, it's my order and if I saw him still on the ship, I won't hesitate to throw him off the boat. Tell him it's a father's job to protect the family and told him to look for work so he could maintain the family. It's an order." The woman in front of her looked at her with wide eyes before suddenly Miko was pulled into a tight embrace by the woman.

"Thank you, thank you… thank you so much!" Miko pulled away and nodded before walking away from the house as she heard the woman told the child they'll be going to see his daddy and the child quickly yelled in happiness and eager to go. Miko felt herself smile and suddenly a tear trickled down from her eyes.

"Is something wrong, Miko?"

"I wish I knew my family… now I really do… let's go back to the castle now, Yukimura-san is waiting." Miko said as she walked pass Yanagi who looked at her with misty eyes before shaking her head and walked beside her.

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**Hope you guys still like it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Tenipuri belongs to Konomi-sensei!**

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She-Pirate -5-**_

After Miko had arrived at the castle, she was rather watched warily by the guards, but she didn't really think about it since she knew it'll be like this when she had entered the castle and she had guarded herself by being silent most of the time. Yukimura noticed the guard she put on and stared at Yanagi who nodded and left both of them alone and ordered all the other guards to leave the Queen alone with the young pirate.

"Are the guards bothering you, Miko?"

"…" Yukimura sighed when Miko didn't answer her and placed her hand on Miko's smaller one.

"I'm sorry about that, it must have been very uncomfortable."

"No, I knew it'll be like this, that's why I didn't want to stay for too long… since I might be a little bit of a threat to the castle."

"Renji had told me, about your trip to the village border… that's very kind of you, to deliver that letter…"

"My men wanted me to send it… but when I saw that he had a son… it might've been the best that he stayed home, taking care of his family. It won't be right if he kept on sailing to the sea, as a pirate… it'll bring his family to shame if everyone knows… that's why I told his wife that she'd see him and told him to go back home…"

"And Renji told me to say that it was an order right?"

"That order will be my last order to him, after this, he won't be accepted in my ship. Not again, he must be responsible for his own family."

"I agree with you, a father should be the one protecting the family and keeping the family together."

"I hope he'd have a good life after this, and hope his family will be happy from now on…" Yukimura then patted Miko's head with her other hand while still holding Miko's hand.

"It's okay… it's not wrong for you to do so… you're different from any other pirates, you have a heart to share with others. You have feelings and you're intelligent, I'm sure you made the right choice." Yukimura now saw the real side of Miko. Even if Miko looked strong and fierce to others, but with her crew, she showed kindness and warmth… but when she was left alone like this, she shows her real side, her child side. Miko is still young, she still has a young mind and heart, but she is much more mature in controlling her emotion. But still, a child is a child, and Miko needed someone to talk to so she could let out the hard feelings and sadness she kept to herself. Yukimura admired Miko for her emotion control since she could control it so well it didn't affect her when she was on the sea. But Yukimura was sure Miko must be lonely since she couldn't let out her emotion freely.

"I didn't do anything wrong… right?"

"No, you didn't… you did the right thing, returning him to his family…"

/

"Renji, go and company her…" Yukimura said. Renji noticed Miko being strangely quiet and looked towards the solemn queen.

"Very well then, Your Majesty." Renji said as Miko walked to his side before the queen nodded and patted Miko's hair before walking away to join her husband.

"Is there something wrong, Miko?"

"I… don't feel good…" Renji noticed Miko's cracked voice and quickly knew that she must have cried when she was with the queen. Renji placed his hand on the back of Miko's head and gently pushed her forward.

"Come on, I'll show you the Queen's flower garden." When both Miko and Renji walked towards the garden, Renji noticed Miko's shoulder tensing when they passed a guard and after the long talk with the queen, Renji knew Miko needed to relax, and the Queen's garden had always been the best choice.

"This is… the Queen's garden?" Miko said, watching the vast field full of trees and flowers in the center of the castle.

"Yes, the Queen loves flowers so the King especially made this garden for her. The Queen usually took care of the garden herself, but since her health had been deteriorating lately, the maids took care of it, but still, the queen watches over the garden when the maids are taking care of it."

"Yukimura-san really does love her garden, doesn't she?"

"She does, people says after the King and the Prince, the garden will likely be the next thing she loves the most. If one makes a mistake in the garden, the Queen will get very angry."

"Can she get angry?"

"You should know, if her health is at the best and she's angry, she could be even scarier than the King."

"Really?"

"Yes. You should keep that in mind, you wouldn't want to upset the queen."

"What will happen if the maids did something wrong?"

"The most kindest thing she'd do, is to forbid that maid from the garden. And the maid should never walk pass the queen."

"That's… kind of scary…"

"Indeed." Miko then kneeled down and watches the flower.

"It's very pretty… the colors… and there are so many kinds of flowers here…"

"You've never been into a garden before, haven't you?"

"No, I don't think I ever… unless before I lost my memory. But I don't think I've ever been to a garden this big…"

"The Queen takes pride in her garden and give the utmost care of it. She said that since she couldn't help the King on anything, she might as well take care of the garden so if the King needed some time off, the garden will help him."

"I wonder if I have a mother too, will she be as caring like Yukimura-san? And if I have a father, will he be powerful and strict like Sanada-san?"

"Most likely they will."

"Will they love me then?"

"I'm sure they will, look at the prince, despite his childish and selfish attitude, the King and Queen loves him despite all the havoc he's done."

"Is it me, or do I kind of have a sixth sense when someone is talking about me?" Miko covered her mouth when she saw Akaya walking towards Yanagi.

"Hmm, that's a possibility, Akaya."

"Shut up, Yanagi-san. Who ask your opinion about me anyway? I'm not a thing to be said." Akaya said, glaring at Yanagi who is more than ready to serve as Akaya's opponent in mouth fighting.

"What I said was true, about you wrecking havoc."

"That's a mistake alright? I'm prone to accidents!"

"Ah, so you admit it."

"Che…" Miko couldn't hold it anymore and broke out laughing, holding her stomach. Yanagi and Akaya stopped arguing and watch as Miko hollered in laughter as tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. Akaya grinned in triumph, finally making the stoic pirate in front of him laughing while Yanagi sighed in relieve as the tension sipped away from Miko's face. Miko then stood up from the ground, still giggling and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at both of you." Miko said still covering her mouth, eyes shimmering in laughter.

"Nah, it's about time you laugh anyway. What's with you and that stuck up attitude anyway?"

"I should be asking the same to you, Prince."

"Don't call me stuck-up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Oi! Yanagi!" The trio who were standing in the garden heard a voice calling and saw Niou approaching them.

"What is it, Niou."

"Sanada and Yukimura are looking for you. Seigaku's coming, seemed like the news spread fast about us coming back alive since the news about our ship sank."

"You should go Yanagi-san, I'll stay here in the garden." Miko said when Yanagi looked back at her. Yanagi then nodded and walked with Niou towards the main hall. Miko then stood up and leaned against a pillar beside Akaya.

"I imagine you must be happy, living in a castle." Akaya snorted.

"Well, if you're in my shoes, you'll know it's not as easy as you think."

"But having parents like yours, it must be fun…"

"Kaa-san easily got sick, and tou-san's a bit of a sadist… always slapping me whenever I did something wrong… what part of that is fun?"

"… Having them around must be fun… having someone to watch over you and scold you whenever something is wrong…" Akaya watches from the corner of his eyes and saw Miko sighing and thought how lonely she could be without parents.

"Are you… lonely?"

"I don't know… but having your family on my ship was fun. And I manage to know everything I've wanted to know… I'll go back to my ship soon. And I'll go to the sea again."

"Why don't you just stay a while longer if you felt it was fun having us around?"

"You should know, a pirate will jump if they found a chance to attack. And if those looneys done anything to the sea I've been working hard to keep the peace and rule, I won't know what'll happen to mainland if those pirates ever came here."

"It's not like we are weak."

"I know, but still, how about a sudden attack of when a pirate works together with another kingdom to bring yours down? Pirates shall stay on the sea, while you should stay here maintaining your own kingdom." Miko said.

"You know, why don't you act your age for once?"

"And that is…?" Miko said, looking at Akaya with an eyebrow raised.

"You know, have fun?"

"How? I had fun on my ship, watching over the sea." Akaya slapped his forehead and shook his head.

"No! Not like that! Have fun, playing games!"

"The kids on my ship showed me how to play games, but I don't know…"

"Have you ever rode on horses?"

"Do you think we have horses on the sea?" Miko said sarcastically.

"Come on, I'll teach you! We can just as Hiroko-san to lend us a pair!"

"Hiroko-san? You mean that lady with the glasses?"

"Yeah, she's the best rider in our kingdom. And she's the most polite person I've ever knew, but I don't know how she got into a relationship with Niou though. They're complete opposites."

"You mean the silver ponytailed man that came?"

"Yeah, that's Niou. He's mostly entertaining kaa-san with his pranks on other, even tou-san was a victim. Tou-san said that he's a very unexpected kind of person since he also excels at fencing and could imitate others. Sometimes he annoys Hiroko-san by disguising as her though."

"It must be fun, having so many people around you…"

"Not to mention Jackal-san and Marui-san… Marui-san is always chewing on gums and sometimes could be very hyper if she gets too much sugar. I pity Jackal-san."

"Kirihara-kun!" Miko and Akaya lifted their heads and saw Hiroko walking towards them.

"What is it, Hiroko-san?"

"The King is looking for you. It seemed that Seigaku has arrived."

"… Already? That quick?"

"Yes, they're now with your parents at the main hall. I suggest you to go there quickly." Kirihara turned towards Miko who nodded. Kirihara then ran towards the main hall and Hiroko noticed Miko looking at the sky.

"Is there something you need, Miko-kun?"

"I think it's time for me to get back to my ship. Can you tell Yukimura-san and Sanada-san my thanks for having me here?"

"Do you really want to leave that quickly?"

"I have my own family waiting for me at the ship, Hiroko-san. Thank you very much for your hospitality." Miko said as she bowed and walked away. Hiroko watches the young pirate captain walked away towards the front gate and quickly walk back towards the main hall. When she opened the tall doors to the main hall, Yukimura quickly approaches her.

"Where's Miko?"

"She's going back to her ship, she said to send her thanks…"

"She's going back already? But Syuusuko and Tezuka wanted to meet her…"

"Should I get Masaharu to get her?"

"Yes, please."

"Masaharu, if you had time to listen to both of us, will you go now?" Niou then popped up beside Hiroko and saluted.

"Right away!" Niou said, kissing Hiroko's forehead and running away, calling Jackal to come with him. Yukimura giggles when she saw her lady-in-waiting blushing madly.

"Well, when are you going to get married already, Hiroko?"

"Please don't talk about it, your majesty…"

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**I'll be leaving this story for a while so I could think for the next chapter...**


	6. Chapter 6

**The shortest chapter of this story yet!**

**I do not own the characters!**

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She-Pirate -6-**_

Kumiko walked through the market, occasionally looking back towards the castle that looms over the kingdom and smiled. Kumiko continued walking until she had spotted her ship. She noticed the woman whom she had visited before in front of her ship with the child, after getting closer, she had finally noticed the man, one of her crew, whom she had told the woman to come and brought back. The woman noticed Kumiko and nudged the man to look over and Kumiko's eyes narrowed. Kumiko then felt something tugging in her heart when she saw the man holding the little boy's hand and tried to look tough.

'_For the last time'_ she thought _'This will be the last time I'll see him, he was a good man, and he will be a good father, I'm sure'_

"What are you doing still standing here?" Kumiko said. Kumiko looked at the man now she regarded as her former crew and sighed.

"Shouldn't you go home already?"

"But captain! The ship… I…"

"This will be the last time we meet each other, I am glad to have you as one of our crew. But now you more higher priority, for instance, a father should be the one upholding and working for the family, don't you think?" Kumiko said, patting the man's arm. The man then felt tears in his eyes and he bowed deeply.

"Thank you very much for all these years, captain!"

"I should be thanking you, you've been teaching me a lot of stuff, but now, you should teach this son of yours. You've been a good company, I thank you." Kumiko said, bowing as well.

"Captain… will we meet again…?"

"Well, who knows. Perhaps when your son grows, might be tomorrow, might be a month later, and might be forever. Nobody knows, I will go sailing with the wind, just like we used to. And I am not your captain anymore, you shouldn't be calling me that, don't you think it's weird, calling someone younger than you as captain?"

"You will always be captain, Kumiko-san. And I'll teach my son, about the wonders of the sea."

"I'll be looking forward to the next time we meet… now go."

"But captain…"

"You are no longer my crew, you should enjoy your time with your family. You've been neglecting your wife for so long, don't you think it's time for you to catch up? Don't waste your time here with me, you need to focus on your family now…" Kumiko said, patting the young boy's head.

"… Come on now boy, what do you say to this nice big sister?" the woman said, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"… Thank you for bringing daddy home, onee-chan!"

"… It's my pleasure. Now go, before I decided to kick you out of here." Kumiko said jokingly as her crew nodded to his wife and they started to walk away. Kumiko waved at the young boy who looked back at her and the young boy then yelled.

"Daddy told me something about you, I hope you'll find your mommy and daddy too, onee-chan! See you soon!" The boy said, waving at the now shocked Kumiko who waved back until she couldn't see the now happy family anymore.

"Well… my job here is done. It's time to get back to the sea." Kumiko said as she was about to board her ship but suddenly someone pulled her arm.

"Oh no you don't, you still have an unfinished business at the castle." Kumiko turned her head and saw Niou smirking at her.

"What do you want? I already told Hiroko-san I'll be leaving and to send my regards to the Queen." Kumiko said, eyes narrowing before Jackal patted Niou's shoulder.

"You shouldn't be rough on her, you know she won't hesitate to throw you over right?"

"Well, the Queen wants her back."

"What is this about?" Kumiko required.

"It seemed that the King and Queen of the Seigaku Kingdoms wants to meet you." Jackal said.

"I'm not interested. I'm done finishing my business here on mainland, now let me go." Kumiko said, pulling her arm that is still in Niou's grip.

"Well, since the Queen said so, I have to bring you back in any cost before she has my neck, and Hiroko can't save me from that one."

"… You actually have a point there, Niou…"

"I said I'm not interest-…ah!" Kumiko said as Niou hauled her on his shoulder and he laughed as he walked back towards the castle.

"C-Captain Kumiko!" Kumiko saw her crew yelling on the deck and shouted back at them.

"Sail without me! I'll join you soon!"

"But how?" They yelled again.

"I have my own way of transportation! You don't have to worry! Just sail first and take care of some pests if they dare make havoc!"

"Y-Yes captain!" Kumiko then sighed and glared at Niou through the corner of her eyes.

"I will have your head later…" Kumiko said darkly.

"My pleasure, young lady. But first thing first, it's time to get back to the castle!" Niou said while Jackal tried to pacify the still angry Kumiko.

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	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so confused about how to continue this story TT^TT**

**I do not ow PoT!**

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She-Pirate -7-**_

"I'm definitely going to have your head after you set me down on the ground."

"Then I'll only set you down when we got to the main hall then." Niou said cheerfully.

"Now now… it's not the time to get upset over these things…" Jackal said, laughing nervously.

/

"You mean a female pirate really rescued you…?" Fuji Syuusuko, the Queen of the Seigaku Kingdom said.

"Yes, she did. She's actually a very nice girl is you get to know her better."

"But being stranded in the sea like that, isn't it bad for your health?" Syuusuko asked worriedly.

"It was, but if it weren't for her help, I'd be worse by now. I'm really grateful to her."

"So, was the rumor true, about the female pirate being a very young child…?"

"Yes, she's even younger than our Akaya…"

"What was her name again?"

"Miko, she said that she only remembered her name as Miko."

"If it wasn't for her, Seiko will be worse back then on the sea, I was grateful for that." Sanada said, placing his hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Even someone like you could be grateful, Sanada." Syuusuko said, smiling as the offended King could only stare.

"So then, how's your son doing?" Tezuka suddenly said.

"He's doing better. Not too good about his obvious attraction towards Miko though." Seiko said, sighing.

"I am not! I'm right here, kaa-san!" Akaya protested from the corner as Seiko giggles. Sanada and Tezuka then walked away from their wives as both Queens once again started talking among themselves.

"Did you remember that story I told you? About Kunimitsu's long lost sister…?"

"Yes, poor girl… being stranded in the sea like that…" Seiko unconsciously said as she abruptly stopped as her counterpart stared worriedly at her.

"Is something wrong, Seiko…?"

"Miko told me… she didn't remember anything about her past when she woke up floating in the middle of the sea, being taken care of the sea creatures before she started to rule the sea as a pirate…"

"Her name is similar to the young pirate's name… Kunimitsu's younger sister's name is Kumiko… Kunimitsu tried to look for her everywhere but couldn't find her, he was so heartbroken." Syuusuko said, sighing.

"Then what happened…"

"Until now, Kunimitsu still send few people to search on the sea, but still nothing… it's been years already… she was so young, she deserved a bright future, someone as talented as her…" the Seigaku's Queen was rudely cut when the main hall's door suddenly opened as a grinning silver-haired man walked casually clearly carrying a person on his shoulder while the black-skinned man beside him clearly looking worried.

"I said put me down this instant before I decided to cut your head through!"

"Horiko will be sad then." Niou said, grinning.

"I don't care! Put me down or I'll call Hiroko-san to tell you to put me down!"

"Hiroko is just right there!" Miko couldn't handle it anymore and started trashing around as Niou started to lose her balance.

"H-Hey! Stop doing that! I'm only supporting you with a shoulder!"

"Put me down! Put me down this instant!" Miko said before her feet made contact with Niou's head and she flipped backwards. Miko felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Hiroko shaking her head at her when she growled at the silver-haired man who is now rubbing the back of his head.

"Told you she's strong." Akaya said, kneeling next to the groaning man.

"You should've told me earlier, brat."

/

"I will have your head if anything ever happens to my crew."

"Miko dear, I'm really sorry about Niou's way of bringing you back…" Miko then looked at the apologetic look the Queen had and sighed.

"If he hadn't, I probably would've beheaded him and went on with my crew."

"Your ship is gone…?"

"I told them to go on without me. And I have to quickly catch up with them after this… is there anything else you needed me for, Yukimura-san?"

"Ah, let me introduce you, this is the Seigaku's Queen."

"Fuji Syuusuko, am I right? My name is Miko." Miko said, bowing her head to the shocked Queen.

"Syuusuko, is everything alright? You looked… dazed."

"W-Where's Kunimitsu…?" Syuusuko asked.

"Ah, you're here already, Miko." Sanada said as the other King walked by his side.

"Sanada-san, I am very sorry… but I am in a hurry right now…"

"Just let me introduce you to the Seigaku first. Tezuka, this is Miko, the pirate I told you about." Sanada said as Miko bowed her head.

"Kumiko…?" Tezuka said, stunned. Akaya somehow noticed something familiar with Tezuka's face and looked towards Miko, only to find her like a carbon copy of the Seigaku's King.

"Kumiko… is that you…?"

"Excuse me, Sir? I think you heard me wrong, my name is Miko." Miko said, eyes not wavering as the Seigaku's Queen held onto her husband's hand.

"I don't want to be rude, Yukimura-san, but if it's okay with you, Sanada-san and Seigaku King and Queen, I would like to have my leave." Miko said.

"No, please stay for a bit… I… We wanted to talk more to you, b-because you looked just like my husband's lost younger sister…"

"I am not her, I'm afraid… I cannot help you much on this matter…"

"But I think he'd appreciate it to at least see a familiar face of his sister who he loved so much… she was lost for years… we're afraid we've lost her."

"If she was lucky, like I did when I survived being stranded on the sea, I'm sure she's alive, if she knows how to survive. But is it okay if I send a letter to my crew? I wanted to tell them I might be a little late."

"Why of course, Miko! Yanagi, Akaya, do you mind taking Miko out for a while so she could send the letter?"

"Sure, kaa-san…" Akaya said as he, Yanagi and Miko walked out from the main hall.

"Niou, Yagyuu, Jackal."

"Right away, Sir." Hiroko said, bowing and leaving with the rest so the Royals are alone.

"Is something wrong, Kunimitsu… you don't look too well…"

"It's her…" he whispered.

"Miko couldn't be…!"

"S-She's her… she's Kumiko…" Tezuka said, looking longingly towards the door Miko just walked out from.

* * *

**I think I'm going to postpone this story, I'm very sorry**

**But thank you for always reading**

**Read and review everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back to continuing this story!**

**Does anyone missed Pirate Miko?**

**I do not own PoT characters, nu-uh**

* * *

She-Pirate -8-

"S-She's her… she's Kumiko…" Tezuka said, looking longingly towards the door Miko just walked out from. Both Seiko and Sanada were indeed very surprised when the King of Seigaku said that, but looking at the now dazed King of Seigaku, it seemed to be the truth.

"But how…? Indeed she does look like you, Tezuka, but how can you be so sure…?" Sanada asked, rather to make sure that the Seigaku King isn't making an assumption just based on Miko's outside appearance, which he thought were too ridiculous to be a coincidence.

"I know her, nobody had that face but Kumiko. But… her eyes…"

"It is to be expected from someone who had undergo so much hardship, especially on the sea…" Yukimura said, as Syuusuko gripped unto her husband's arm tightly, looking worried at Tezuka's dazed expression. Sanada then placed a hand on Tezuka's shoulder.

"Let me get you out for some air, you don't look too well, Tezuka." Rikkai's King said as Yukimura nodded, also implying the same to Seigaku's Queen.

"But… what if we're wrong? What if…"

"No, Kumiko is alive. I know, she would never go down that easily." Tezuka said, his eyes hardening at his wife's softening eyes.

"Yes, she would never go down that easily. Our Kumiko wouldn't…"

/

Outside, Miko, Akaya and Yanagi stood, overlooking the ocean. The young pirate was holding unto a piece of paper, the one she had written on before Akaya chose to open his mouth and ask one question.

"How are you going to send the letter?" The Rikkai Prince asked before he felt rather insulted when Miko gave him a rather smug smile.

"In the sea, you would have to be able to use everything you get." Miko said, whistling before a seagull landed on her shoulder. Akaya then watch as Miko gently stroked the seagull's feathers before tying the now folded paper on its leg.

"Be careful." Miko said before sending the seagull off to the sky. Yanagi watched his prince with amusement before snapping the prince out of his daze by elbowing him when the female pirate turned towards them.

"Well, there's all there is to it. Simple delivery."

"Would anyone be suspicious if they found out about the letter?"

"Well, our seagulls are rather agile, they never once let me down. And if anything happened to that bird, its friends will come, and I'll know what to do." Yanagi then nodded, quite amazed at how ahead this small pirate in front of him is. After all, lessons are forever, and survival ability is a must when you're a pirate.

"We should go back, I'm sure The King and Queen are looking forward to spending time with you."

"And perhaps you might be able to show me how fun a horse riding could be." Miko said to Akaya, surprising the young royal before he lifted his fist up for Miko to bump with.

"You bet! And maybe Hiroko-san would be kind enough to show us a trick or two."

"Horse ride?" Yanagi asked, rather amused at how Akaya seemed to be glaring at him after his statement.

"Prince Akaya were telling me what 'having fun' is before the King and Queen of Seigaku came. He told me that horse rising is fun, us pirates never had a chance on riding a horse, after all."

"Well, our Akaya is not that very skilled in horse riding, but he is a decent rider. I'm afraid Hiroko is the only one who can tell you how." Yanagi said, as he tuned off a rather pissed and embarrassed Akaya who started ranting about how he is not just a decent rider and it's because his horse likes to suddenly drop him off for no reason.

"Well, it must be interesting… I've always wanted to see what animals are native to land…" Miko said to herself.

/

"I'm very sorry to keep you back here once more, Miko." Yukimura said to the sitting young pirate next to her. Right now, Yukimura couldn't really see Miko as the fierce pirate she had seen on the sea, on land, Yukimura sees the girl as a child, a very curious child. It is to be expected, after all, Miko had never stepped on land almost all her life.

"No, it is alright, Yukimura-san. And about what the Queen of Seigaku had said, about me resembling the missing sister of the King, what had actually happened? I was… rather agitated at that time, I'm afraid I have to apologize."

"You have done nothing wrong, Masaharu was rather… very daring in doing what I told him. I was afraid for a second that Hiroko would leave him if he continued being like this…" Yukimura said, sighing as she thought about her lady-in-waiting's almost husband.

"Hiroko-san… for me, I think Hiroko-san likes that about him. I've never seen anyone so… free, not even a pirate could compare to his freedom. And about what Queen Fuji said…" she asked, reminding the Rikkai Queen of her initial question.

"Ah, yes… poor girl, she was still so young back then. Tezuka used to have a much younger little sister, whom he loves and pampers very much, no matter how strict he look like. And Fuji, who had been betrothed to Tezuka since they were young, also loves her like her own. It was a tragedy, the news spread like wild-fire…" Yukimura said, her eyes distant when she thought about the news that had taken the two other powerful kingdom in shock.

"Seishun was still a small kingdom back then, and Tezuka had stepped in as King when he was still young… and after losing his little sister, all other small rebellious kingdoms started to attack Seishun. Hyoutei and Rikkai were already relatively powerful back then, and the rivalry between us does not matter for that time, both kingdoms lend their hands to help Seishun overcome those difficult times."

"How very cowardly of them, attacking when the kingdom is at its highest point of vulnerability." Miko said, scoffing as Yukimura smiled amusedly at the girl before continuing on with her story.

"Yes, that is why both Hyoutei and Rikkai would not tolerate them. I had known Syuusuko since we were children, I could never forget how Syuusuko looked when I received the news that the Seishun's Princess was lost in the sea. Hyoutei's King, Atobe Keigo, I remember him being so smitten with the Princess I had joked that he might as well kidnap her and make her his own sister, to Tezukas horror." Yukimura said, giggling at the small fond memory in the midst of the chaos.

"Seishun Kingdom's Princess… may I know her name?"

"Tezuka Kumiko, Princess of Seishun Kingdom, lovable little sister of the King Tezuka Kunimitsu. It was strange how similar her name is to yours, Miko, and how similar you are to Tezuka in appearance… that was why both Tezuka and Syuusuko looked so surprise when they saw you."

"I see… perhaps, when I got back with my crew, I can be of help. The Princess might have been saved by the sea creatures like I did, and might be alive somewhere… the sea is very vast, but with some help from my family, I'm sure we can find her." Miko said, uncharacteristically smiling at Yukimura who was more then shocked to, once again, found something very similar to the Seishun's King, the way Miko smile.

'… Could it really be true? That she is right in front of me all alone…?' Yukimura thought before she shook her head when Miko had asked the queen if there is something on her face.

"If it is alright with you, Yukimura-san, I would like to present my idea to the Seishun Queen… if she is available."

"Of course! Syuusuko would be very happy to receive your help! Come come!" Yukimura said excitedly, pulling Miko up to her feet before taking her out to see the Seishun Queen, and according to Hiroko, the Seishun Queen is now being joined by her lady-in-waiting in the garden.

"I haven't had the chance to tell you, Yukimura-san, but your garden is breath-taking. I've never seen something so colorful in my life!"

"Why thank you, there she is, Syuusuko!" Miko looked ahead to see the royal brunette together with a black-haired lady next to her, and before she knew it, she was suddenly pulled into the black-haired lady's arms as she felt herself being embraced.

"Kumiko!"

* * *

**So... what do you guys think? Did I do a good job on continuing this?**

**And blame Shin Tenipuri for pulling me back into Tenipuri goodiness**

**Suwabi Junichi (Atobe) and Minagawa Junko (Ryoma)... their voices are *swoon* not to mentioned Okiayu Ryoutaro (Tezuka) and how he sings his songs... *sigh***

**And as always, Morikubo Showtaro-san (Akaya) has always been very excited and chipper**

**Enough of that, review review!**

**~angel's angel**


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel excited for this story, don't you?**

**I do not own the characters of Prince of Tennis**

* * *

She-Pirate -9-

"Kumiko!" The young pirate then found herself in the arms of who seemed to be the Seishun Queen's Lady-in-waiting. She had somehow felt familiarity being in those arms, but the feeling disappeared as soon as it came when the Seishun Queen gently pried her off of the unknown lady's arms.

"Shuuko… I'm afraid she's not our Kumiko…" the Queen said as the lady named Shuuko stared at Miko incredulously before turning towards her Queen who shook her head.

"My name is Miko, I know I look a lot like Seishun King's younger sister… but I'm afraid I'm not her, I'm very sorry if I had brought your hopes up." Miko said politely, feeling somehow guilty for making the lady in front of her have such a very sad and desperate expression. A hand then came on her shoulder and Miko then turned to see Syuusuko giving her a small smile.

"Is there something you need…?" The way the brunette Queen spoke, it felt familiar, but Miko swore she had never even stepped unto land ever since she was found… it couldn't be that she knew this lady from before she was found on sea, could it? But the names of the Seishun Royals sounded so familiar, and she knew she had good memories, so why this feeling of longing-ness?

"I… I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior earlier, I was rather agitated at how Niou-san was taking me. And I… was never good at keeping my temper when there was no one to stop me."

"There's no need for you to apologize, I'm sure Kunimitsu understands as well. It was just… you look so familiar to our Kumiko, and from your story, Kunimitsu thought that you might be her…"

"If… If you don't mind, I can help. The fishes saved me when I was stranded, they are very nice and caring creatures, the dolphins and the whales… I'm sure if they found Kumiko stranded and unconscious on sea, they'd save her like they saved me." Miko explained, judging the Queen's and the lady-in-waiting's expression before continuing on.

"And my crew has always been the best on finding people on sea. My crew… they're all people who had been stranded on sea, I'm sure they'd be happy to help find your Kumiko. Nobody should be left behind… especially someone who is so loved." Miko said as Yukimura nodded, somehow feeling proud of the young pirate.

"I… thank you, thank you very much. I'm sure Kunimitsu would appreciate it very much. But… is it okay if I ask you a favor?" Syuusuko asked, taking Miko's hands in her own, stroking them gently.

"And that is…?"

"Have a word with him… he is talking to Sanada right now, but I'm sure he'd love to talk to you, whom Kumiko resembles so much…"

"I… I'd try, but I'm not sure I can help very much…" Miko said as Syuusuko nodded in understanding before she placed a hand on Miko's cheek.

"I'm sure you'd help him… like you did to me just now." Miko then gave Syuusuko a look of utter confusion before Yukimura placed a hand on Miko's shoulder to guide the girl towards the place where both the Queen's husbands are talking while she whispered softly for the girl to go and leave Syuusuko alone. As Seishun's Queen kept her now watery eyes on the female pirate's back, her lady-in-waiting gently touched her arm.

"Your Majesty Syuusuko… that girl…"

"Kunimitsu was, and is still so sure that she's her. But she doesn't remember anything, Shuuko… nothing, nothing at all. I don't know what to do, she's right there in front of us, but I couldn't reach out to her…"

"Syuusuko… it's alright, I'm sure our Kumiko will come back to us soon. I'm sure of it, she always comes back home. Always."

"… You're right."

/

"Tezuka, how are you feeling?" Both Kings are now standing inside one of the castle's training ground, both holding unto their swords as they had been fencing, the one way Rikkai King knew how to get the Seishun King to get what's been cooping up inside of him out from the King.

"… Better, thank you Sanada. But I was sure that your Miko is my Kumiko… there's no one else like her… but her memories…"

"She had told me when I was on her ship, she doesn't remember anything but 'Miko' as her name. She was saved by the sea, who were unfortunately the casualties of the rebellion years ago… if you are sure that Miko is your little sister, what can you do to bring her memories back? I doubt she would go with you to Seishun, she was reluctant enough to stay here…"

"I'm afraid I'm also out of ideas, but she's right there… and I couldn't reach out to her…" The Seishun King said remorsely as his Rikkai counterpart placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"How's Atobe? He was still sending people out to sea the last time I've heard of him…"

"He's starting to give up, no matter how it pained him to do so. It's been 7 years, Sanada… and now…" Tezuka was then cut off when he heard footsteps coming towards them. Both Tezuka and Sanada then turned to see Yukimura leading a rather nervous pirate by the shoulders towards them. Sanada looked from the corner of his eyes to see Tezuka's shoulder went rather stiff, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Genichirou dear… Have you and Tezuka been fencing?" his wife asked him. Genichirou then gave his wife a small tired smile before Yukimura nodded at the silent signal.

"We just met with Syuusuko and Shuuko back in the garden, and Syuusuko suggested that Miko went up and talk to you, Tezuka." Yukimura said as Tezuka nodded, taking her hands away from Miko's shoulder who suddenly went more upright after Yukimura took her hands back. Miko never felt this nervous in her life as a pirate, she had not been nervous when she first met the Rikkai Royal Family, but after talking with the Queen of Seishun Kingdom, she felt so nervous she almost thought she'd faint if she was not in her right mind. Tezuka, who tried his best to keep his composure, could only raise an eyebrow at the young pirate in front of him.

"I… apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I was quite agitated by how Niou-san was taking me away from my crew. I deeply apologize." Miko said, bowing to a surprised Tezuka.

"You did nothing wrong, you were rather rude, yes. But I understand that you were… in a rather uncomfortable position." Sanada then muttered something about the silver-haired man under his breath before turned away when his wife gave him a disapproving look.

"I talked earlier to Syuusuko-sama, as well as Shuuko-sama. If you don't mind, I can give order to my crew to help you look for your younger sister. My crew is the best at spotting people who are stranded in sea, I might understand how your sister feels, since I was also stranded in sea at a young age. The sea is very much forgiving to small children, and the animals in the sea might as well saved her just like they saved me." Miko explained very carefully, judging the King's rather criticizing eyes on her.

"I know I look young, but I've been living on sea for almost all my life. And my ways have always been different than others, if those people are worthy to be saved, then I will save them. Your sister is very loved, to have people worrying about her, if she is found, I'm sure it'll be wonderful."

"… On what conditions? I've heard pirates, no matter who they are, are rather looking forward to some kind of results for their purpose." Tezuka asked, not minding the widening eyes of Yukimura's as well as the scowl on Sanada's face. Different or not, he must be careful with pirates, and this girl might as well be his sister, but still… he perhaps shouldn't hope for too much.

"My conditions? The same as everyone who I've warned, fish only what they should, if the massacre of the fishes happen again like those years ago, I will not forgive those from the mainland who decided to sail to the sea." Tezuka then let his shoulders sagged, a small amused smile is now adorning his face.

"And then?"

"I've always wanted to reunite my crews with their family, and see family reunite, it might as well be my reward. A family member, after all, should never be left behind. Especially those like your sister, who have many people loving as well as waiting for her." Miko finished. Both Tezuka and Miko then stood upright, staring at each others eyes before the older then reached an arm out to pull the young pirate towards him and hold her tight, taking the younger girl by surprise.

"… Your Highness…?"

"… Thank you…" Tezuka whispered, gripping the girl in his arms tighter. If this girl is really his sister, he might as well cherish this feeling; as he might or might not get her back, especially with her lost memories. Tezuka couldn't care much that he has two pair of eyes looking at him, all he wanted to do now is to hold unto this girl, the one he knew as his sister but had unfortunately lost her memories and is now thinking of him as a stranger, and cherish what he had.

"… Your sister is very lucky… I barely remember anything about my own family…" Miko whispered, giving the brown haired king a pat on the back. When Tezuka had finally let Miko go, the king then gave the girl a soft smile, inciting a familiar feeling in her heart.

"If you want to know the mainland more, you are more than welcome to drop by to Seishun."

"Thank you, Tezuka-sama." Yukimura then placed a hand on Miko's shoulder before gesturing the girl towards a mop of black hair that is hiding behind one of the castle's pillars.

"I heard Akaya is taking you out to show you horse riding. You might as well go before my son started his tantrum, and I'm sure Hiroko is more than happy to show you the art of horse riding." Miko nodded at the Queen's words before hearing a distant 'I do not throw tantrums!' and turned towards the Queen who is smiling and urging her to go on. As the three royals then watch the smaller girl walk towards the pillar where the previous mop of black hair was spotted, they saw that the hiding prince then grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out towards the stable.

"… She's grown to be a very astounding girl, hasn't she?" The Seishun's Queen said as she joined her husband as well as their Rikkai counterparts, looking towards the direction where their young pirate and the Rikkai Prince had disappeared.

"… Yes, a very astounding girl indeed." Tezuka said, feeling rather proud of the girl, even if she doesn't remember her real identity as Seishun Kingdom's Princess.

"Do you think she might remember before she returns to her crew? I doubt we can do much to give her clues about her forgotten past." Yukimura said.

"I'm afraid I do not know, Seiko." Sanada replied.

* * *

***drum rolls* Review please!**

**Kumiko now has her own twitter (I made it last week)! The username is TezukaKumiko and since I don't like getting strange mentions, I put her twitter on private mode**

**Tell me how you guys think of this story! Is it okay? Or is it not okay?**

**~Angel's Angel**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's here! Chapter 10 is here!**

**I do not own Tenipuri!**

* * *

She-Pirate -10-

"… Is this the stable…?" Miko wondered as Akaya had led her towards the Royal Stables, with Hiroko already waiting for them inside in her riding attire.

"What else could it be anyway? Hiroko-san!" Akaya called out, still pulling unto Miko's arm as the smaller girl tried not to trip herself silly, since it would definitely put a dent in her pirate pride.

"You certainly took your time, Akaya-kun. And why are you dragging Miko-kun like that?" Hiroko said disapprovingly. Hiroko had always been a lady with manners and etiquette, and being the Prince's teacher in mannerism certainly has its charms, since Hiroko seemed to almost always gave up when Akaya decided to go against what she had taught him. But perhaps her lover had been a bad influence on her, she had a feeling quite akin to proud when she had seen her student manage to get a prank to work on her lover. Or perhaps she just wanted to have a little fun while she could, since she certainly couldn't when she was younger because of her strict upbringing.

"Miko was just talking to Tezuka-san and Syuusuko-san, about wanting to give help on finding Tezuka-san's missing little sister. Can we go now?" Akaya said irritably. Hiroko then turned towards the young pirate for answer only to see Miko giving a rather longing look at the castle before she coughed to get the girl's attention.

"Is something the matter, Miko-kun? Were you doing something important?"

"… No. I was just… confused. I've always been taken care of by the older members my crew, like I'm their own daughter. My crew is my family… but… I'm just confused…" Miko said, letting both Hiroko and Akaya see one of her most vulnerable state. Akaya, who didn't know what to do, then turned towards Hiroko who gave him a stern look before pulling on the horse next to her to come forward.

"Miko-kun, this is Rikkai, one of the King's steed. As you can see he's named after our kingdom, and is His Majesty Sanada-sama's favorite. Rikkai, this is Miko, she saved His Majesty and Queen Yukimura-sama." When Miko came face to face with the black steed, she gave it a confused stare as she had never seen a horse before. The female pirate then took a step back when the horse neighed, unsure of what to do.

"Hiroko-san, are you sure? Rikkai's not that fond of strangers…" Akaya said before he felt a nerve pop up on his forehead when the horse turned its head away from him. Miko then took a step forward and stared wide-eyed to the horse before lifting a hand to touch its mane.

"You better be careful, Miko… Rikkai's not known for being friendly to people." And of course, Akaya's jaw then dropped when the said black horse moved its head closer to the pirate's hand, nuzzling it before nuzzling her face. Miko, who was stunned, then gently placed her hand on the horse's snout before closing her eyes in bliss, enjoying the close proximity with the land animal.

"He's so… gentle…" Miko said, her voice filled with awe and amazement which quickly brought a smile to Hiroko's face. Hiroko had always wanted to know what she could do to at least pull Miko's walls down, and for her, this is enough. To see that glint of child's excitement in Miko's eyes is enough for Hiroko, and she is sure the Queen would be delighted.

"Not fair! Rikkai is never that nice to me!" Akaya said as Miko kept on stroking the black horse's mane, still amazed.

"Maybe he's just trying to tease you, after all, horse's emotion is very sensitive at times. And Miko is new at this, I'm sure Rikkai knows that, don't you boy?" Hiroko said, at which the horse neighed its agreement before giving Miko a kiss with its snout. Hiroko then tightened the saddle on the black horse's back and beckoned for the girl to try and get on it.

"I-I can get on? Really? Are you sure Hiroko-san? Can I really get on?" Miko said, still patting Rikkai's snout as she horse then let out a happy neigh, pulling on Miko's robe. Akaya, who was at first scolded by Hiroko, then gave Miko a hand on getting on Rikkai before Miko then sat on Rikkai, stunned. Rikkai, who seemed to notice his rider's awe, quickly galloped light towards the green outside the stables, with Hiroko giggling while Akaya stared wide-eyed and jaw slacked.

"Rikkai seemed to like Miko, don't you think so?"

"Not fair!"

"Miko seemed to handle it well…" Hiroko said, nodding at the way the young pirate started to control the more than happy to rebel Rikkai while they run around. Hiroko then felt strangely proud and tried to wipe the tears that had started to gather at the corner of her eyes when Miko let out a laugh and started to tell the horse to run faster. Hiroko and Akaya then quickly ran towards Miko when the girl jumped off and fell from the horse before laying herself sprawled on the grass while Rikkai tried to nudge the girl to stand up, still wanting to play.

"I… I can't stand…" Miko said, the glimmer in her eyes still visible. Hiroko then watch as Miko closed her eyes, enjoying the wind and trying to push Rikkai's snout away before a bird's squawk got her attention. Before the lady-in-waiting and the prince knew it, Miko quickly dashed away from the stables and towards the castle's entrance. Still in shock, Akaya also took off behind the pirate while Hiroko tried to steer the now worried Rikkai back into the stables before running towards the castle, wanting to inform the King and the Queen of the young pirate's sudden strange behavior.

"Hey, what's the matter? You were lying on the grass for one time and now you're running towards the deck!"

"There's something wrong! My crew is in danger! I have to go!" Miko said, stopped at the edge of the deck, whistling as Akaya then stopped beside the pirate, trying to regain his breath. Akaya then watch as Miko took out a rope and turned towards the water when he heard something clicking to see a pair of dolphins, seemingly calling out to Kumiko in panic.

"I'm counting on you two. Prince, you should get the guards ready, the sea is at war, you have to protect the deck!" Miko said, jumping into the waters before gently tying the rope she had unto one of the dolphins before she gave a pat on the other one.

"Miko! What's going on! What war?" Akaya yelled.

"Just… Just tell Yanagi-san it's dangerous on sea! You must stay on guard!" Miko yelled, and Akaya swore he had never heard such desperation in Miko's voice. And before Akaya could say anything more, the pirate then went further and further, waterskiing using the dolphin. Akaya was terribly confused, and was about to go back to the castle before a loud 'BOOM' was heard throughout the sea, the sound of a firing cannon.

'_The sea is at war!'_ Now finally understanding what Miko had meant, Akaya quickly ran back towards the castle, yelling for the guards near the deck to watch out for attacks. Miko, the pirate he had just finally gotten to know, is in danger, and Akaya need to report this to his parents, as well as the still present King and Queen of Seishun. As another firing cannon was heard, Akaya prayed in his mind that the just departing pirate is safe before rushing into the main hall, where Hiroko is in the middle of telling the Kings and Queens about what had happened.

"Akaya!"

"There's cannons firing in the sea, I can hear the sound from the deck!" Akaya said, rushing towards his parents before Yanagi pulled him back trying to calm the prince down before telling him to take deep breaths and tell everything that had just happened and about the young female pirate's whereabouts.

"Miko just left! She was riding on Rikkai and was on the grass before she shot up and run towards the deck! She told me to have the guards on lookout, and you can hear cannons firing out there!" Akaya said.

"Renji, prepare the ship and the soldiers! Akaya, Tezuka and I are going out there!" Sanada said, trying to coax his protesting wife into staying in the castle, where it is safer.

"But Miko is out there! I can't just leave her there!" Yukimura protested, just like how the Queen of Seishun is protesting to her husband.

"But Kunimitsu! You can't just leave me here!"

"I'm sorry, Syuusuko, but I have to. This is the only way, a war on the sea will resulted in absolute chaos for the land. You have to go back to Seishun with Shuuko, where it's safer."

"But Kumiko is…!" Syuusuko said before the intense look on her husband's eyes silenced her. Tezuka then gripped her shoulders tightly before giving her a hug.

"I'll bring her back, I promise. But now, you must stay safe, I can't lose you either."

"… You better be back soon." Syuusuko whispered when Tezuka let go of her, nodding, swearing on his position as king to return as soon as possible.

"The Kingdom needs you, Seiko. And Syuusuko needs you as well, Akaya and I will return as soon as everything is settled."

"But I need you! And Akaya…!"

"We promised Miko there would be no more wars, and this is a war. I have to be responsible and respond to help. I promise I will return to you soon, and so will our son… as well as Miko."

"You two better be." Yukimura said, giving her husband and son both a kiss on the forehead before waving them goodbye with Syuusuko and their lady-in-waiting by their side. Both Yukimura and Syuusuko then held each other's hand, giving support to one another.

"I hope it is going to be over soon."

"Yes, I hope so too."

* * *

**I made this is such a hurry because I was too excited to think anything coherent!**

**I was so excited! And this story is approaching it's end soon! After such a long time in making this, I'm actually going to finish this!**

**Oh dear oh dear oh dear! I'm so excited!**

**What do you guys think the ending will be? Are you expecting Akaya to tell Miko that he's starting to like her?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy New Year!**

**It's been... around 5 months since I last updated this story, I am very sorry... especially when the story is almost at it's end...**

**I hope all of you enjoy this new chapter, I was quite excited when I started typing this (I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that school starts tomorrow, on the 3rd...)**

**I do not own Prince of Tennis, but I do own Kumiko/Miko and the plotline~**

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_**She-Pirate -11-**_

When the two Kings and the Rikkai Prince's ships had arrived to give assistance, everything might have just ended. There were ship wreckage floating on the sea, but two ships remained, and the royals of the Rikkai Kingdom recognize the two still standing ships.

"It seemed it was indeed the Rudolphs that had started… Look for the survivors in the sea! If you found them, bring them up and keep them under watch." Sanada yelled to his men who quickly went to work while Akaya stood at the side of the ship, trying to look at the two ships that are still standing with the binoculars in his hand. Desperate as he is, to locate the pirate princess he had only gotten to know only for a short time. Here he thought he might have gotten the chance to know the female pirate better, despite her loss memories of the childhood and perhaps he might be able to break that almost unbreakable shell of hers.

"Do you see anything, Akaya?" His father asked him, snapping him out from his thoughts before shaking his head and lowered the binoculars in his hand. Sanada then placed his hands on his son's shoulders and squeezed them.

"Don't give up now, Miko needs our help, whether she asks for or not. I'm sure she's gone through worse. We're closing in, you better get yourself ready." Sanada said sternly before he ordered his men to get closer to the ships. They had gathered all the survivors and had tied them all up (those who aren't in Miko's side anyway). Akaya then let out a sigh of relieve when the children that was thrown out to the sea were all alive and well, albeit a bit cold from the water). The children were herded inside, being dried, given warm blankets and warm drinks to help them regain their normal temperature, but none of the adults had seen Miko.

"We were thrown out to the sea when our captain was still absent by those blasted Rudolphs. We hadn't caught glimpse of her afterwards." Although they were worried, none of them doubted Miko's strength and power despite her age. "She is strong and perhaps even more knowledgeable from us adults," they say, she will prevail and bring victory to her crew. Akaya never felt this kind of confidence coming from people whom had been thrown into the sea, usually people would be devastated, but not Miko's crew. Suddenly, one of the children, whom Akaya remembered had played with when he was still on Miko's ship, latched unto him.

"Please bring our nee-chan back! She might be all alone there and that evil man always uses dirty tricks!" The boy said before the children started agreeing and latching unto Akaya as well before they were brought back inside for safety. Akaya was rather speechless before he heard something exploded and he whipped his head to see fire breaking out on Miko's ship. The children and the women of Miko's ship were speechless, the women holding the children in their arms before some let their tears out at the misery of their 'home'.

"Give it up, our captain won! Your little captain might have died hours ago!" A man from the Rudolph crew yelled before he was subdued by Akaya's fist. The other Rudolph crew then drew away from the now furious prince. Sanada, who noticed the spectacle, shook his head and turned towards his men.

"Keep looking for survivors! All of you," Sanada then turned towards the women "Keep the children safe, and keep yourself safe until I returned with news of Miko, do you understand me? I know all of you are capable enough being Miko's crew, but this time, protect the young. And these," Sanada said, gesturing his hand towards the tied up Rudolph men "You may treat them as you like if you think they deserve it, I don't think these men knew what women, especially _**mothers**_, would do to protect their young." One woman then unattached herself from the group, one whom Sanada knew was the one Miko trusted the most and bowed to him.

"I understood, Your Majesty. May you and your son stay safe as well, all of our prayers are with you… please find our captain." Sanada then nodded and grabbed Akaya's shoulder before pulling him out to make their move unto Miko's ship.

"It seemed Tezuka had outrun us, you better keep your eyes open, Akaya." Sanada said.

/

Tezuka, whom had been watching carefully ever since the exchange Akaya had with the children, frowned. Tezuka had also watched that Sanada had interacted with some women, whom he was told as part of Miko's crew, and he frowned even more. He doesn't know much about the crew his supposedly-younger-sister had gathered in his ship, but he knew from rumors that they are castaways.

'_Those women and children… how could they be so cruel as to left them on their own on the sea?'_ Tezuka had thought. He himself had ordered his men to look for survivors, and had successfully roped some in, either children or adults. He had tried to ask them exactly what had happened, but they were rather reluctant, as they had no idea who he is, or why he is helping them. There was one elderly men, whom the children and women and been so overjoyed to see on board while some from the Rudolphs had tried to curse the aged man before being subdued by the surprisingly strong women. Whether he is the king or not, he acted towards an elder as an elder should be treated, with respect. He had asked him if he could possibly tell him what had happened before this 'war' broke out, and the man eyed him skeptically.

"May you tell me who you are, young man? And perhaps your relation to King Sanada and Queen Yukimura as well." He said.

"I am Tezuka Kunimitsu, from the Kingdom of Seishun. I am… the King, and my wife and I knew Sanada for quite a long time, before both of us took our positions as Kings of our country."

"I have heard of you, young man. Quite a respectable King for someone your age, just like the King of Rikkai. If you want to know what had happened, we were just going back to the sea, as our captain had told us. Nothing was wrong, the sky was clear, and we were all waiting for our captain to return to the ship… before those blasted Rudolphs decided to attack us when we were without our commander, our captain. Very cowardly." The Rudolphs, who had heard what the old man said, had yelled out in protest before Tezuka watch in amusement as some of the women swiped one of his men's sword and hit the Rudolphs with the hilt, rendering them unconscious.

"A very cowardly act indeed." Tezuka said as the old man barked out in laughter.

"Our women have always been strong. After all, our captain is a female herself, whose morals wouldn't be boosted because of that? But now perhaps you lassies should calm down, keeping the children warm is the most important thing to do right now." The old man said as the women huffed and stomped back towards the children who had been watching the spectacle with sparkling eyes.

"Your captain… might you be so kind as to tell me more about her? As the oldest… perhaps you might be the one who knew her the longest…" Tezuka said as the old man's eyes narrowed.

"Call me Yamato. And yes, I was the oldest crew, and the longest. And I have also heard about your kingdom's search for its princess. And I must say, from how you look, our captain could be the one you are searching for… but."

"As you can see, the sea has become a part of her. Either our captain is your younger sister or not… you cannot take her away from the place she had worked so hard for and spend most of her life in. The sea is calling for her, and this is her home." When the older man was about to say anything more, the sound of a canon being fired filled the air and the children then started screaming when fire broke out from their ship, their _**home**_.

"Captain! Captain Miko is still there!" The children and the women yelled. Tezuka's soldiers had tried to keep them back from trying to jump into the sea to swim towards the burning ship, and they are having difficulties about it. Tezuka then gritted his teeth and ran towards the front of the ship, leaping towards the Rudolphs ship, the ship they are closest to, before running towards the burning ship. The old man watch with sad eyes as the ship continues to burn and looked away.

"God, if you are there listening to this old man of yours… please bring our captain back."

/

"Give it up now, Miko. Your crew has lost, it is time for you to step down from the throne." Mizuki said, the tip of his sword now grazed Miko's neck, leaving a trail of blood coming out from the wound.

"Step down from the throne? You'd have to step over my dead body to do so, you sly fox. How cowardly are you to attack a captain-less ship? Especially when you have been tailing my movements as well, you must have been so ecstatic to know that my ship has been sailing without me."

"Oh of course, dear. When I knew you'd be staying on the mainland for quite a while, I deliberately planned this attack. And look! I succeeded, and now your precious ship is going to sink to the bottom of the ship. Perhaps with you as well."

"Try me, Mizuki."

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**RnR?**

**Please click that review button below and tell me anything about this story!**

**And to those who had been patiently waiting for this story to be updated, thank you!**

**Thank you for waiting for this spluttering me!**

**Thank you thank you thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**It is finally the end chapter! Thank you all who had been patiently reading this even though it kinda stopped for several times!**

**I do not own Prince of Tennis!**

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_**She-Pirate -12-**_

"_Nii-chan, when can I go and see the sea?" "As soon as you're old enough."_

"_Not fair nii-chan! Why can Syuu nee go but I can't?" "Behave, Kumiko. It'll be your turn soon."_

"_Look nii-chan! I'm definitely going to bring this when I go to the sea!" "Of course, keep it safe."_

"_I heard you're going to bring me to the sea soon, nii-chan!" "What have I told you about eavesdropping?"_

"_Really? Tomorrow? You're going to bring me to the sea tomorrow?" "Of course, when had I ever lied to you?"_

"_The sea! We're going to the sea!" "Kumiko, be careful on the deck. Don't stand on the edge now."_

"_N-Nii-chan! Help me!" "Kumiko, hang in there!"_

"_Kuni… nii…" "KUMIKO! KUMIKO! Can you hear me, KUMIKO!"_

/

"Kumiko!" Tezuka woke up with a start and a gasp. Sweat ran through his face, his breath labored. Tezuka had never thought he'd ever relieve that nightmare, that time when he lost his baby sister, his dear precious baby sister. Kumiko was looking forward to finally seeing the sea, as he had told her not to years before because she was still too young. But on her first supposedly exciting trip, a very bad storm hits the ship and Kumiko stumbled and fell into the sea. He had yelled and cursed the nature for taking his only family and precious treasure away from him. Nothing could be the same since, no matter how long it had been, the kingdom remembers. The kingdom remembers a sweet young princess, whom excitement could influence the most cold-hearted person of all. The adults remembered, the elders remembered, and then the children were told and remembered.

"Kunimitsu…?" Tezuka then turned to his side only to find his wife, whom also remembered and had stayed with him throughout the years, looking up blearily at him before her eyes fully opened when she realized that Tezuka is awake. Speechless, Syuusuko continued to stare at her husband before Tezuka offered a weak smile and a tear escaped her eyes.

"You're awake! You're finally awake!" Syuusuko said, leaping into Tezuka's arms as she cried unto his shoulder. Tezuka then held his wife close, relishing the moment of being alive, before remembering the events that had led to this. Gently pushing the Queen of Seishun back, Tezuka looked into Syuusuko's eyes.

"… And Kumiko…?" At the Queen's smile, Tezuka felt hope blooming in his heart.

"She is still resting. She was conscious before you did, though… and she calls for you…" Tezuka was quiet, but his eyes never left his wife's. At Tezuka's silent question, Syuusuko smiled even more as tears poured out once again from her eyes, tears of happiness and relief.

"She remembered, Kunimitsu…! She remembered!" Syuusuko said as she dived into Tezuka's arms once more. The usually stoic King of Seigaku then quickly wrapped his arms around his wife and unexpectedly let out a tear as both of them cried together. Syuusuko then gently took her husband's tear-stricken face in her hands before both of them kissed sweetly. They continued to kiss, and perhaps would continue until forever until a knock came upon the door. The King and Queen then parted before turning towards the door. Whispers were heard from the door and another knock, which seemed rather impatient, came from the door.

"Please come in." Syuusuko said as the door then opened to show Miko's staggering form walking inside with her crutch. Shuuko was seen fussing over the young pirate, telling her to take it easy since she was still in no condition to move. Irritably, Miko told Shuuko that she's alright and everything seemed to stop when her eyes met Tezuka's. Tezuka felt as himself stopped breathing at the look in Miko's eyes, it is the eyes of Kumiko, the younger sister whom he had never stopped searching for years. The most beautiful and precious eyes he had ever seen aside those from his wife's, now staring back at him as it glistens under the light.

"Kumiko…" Tezuka breathed as Miko's face then softened and smiled that adoring smile. The King felt his wife grip on his hand tightened, and he knew Syuusuko noticed that look as well. It was the look Kumiko always gave both of them, the look of pure adoration and love. This young lady in front of them is Kumiko, not Miko the pirate, but Kumiko the Seishun Princess. As Shuuko then left the room for privacy, Kumiko slowly moved towards the bed, only the clicking sound of her crutches was heard in the room. Both Tezuka and Syuusuko were speechless as Kumiko approached them with that smile still adorning her face even though tears started escaping her eyes. When Kumiko stood right next to the bed, Tezuka automatically opened his arms before letting Kumiko fell into them, gripping tightly unto his clothes. When Tezuka felt the tremors coming from Kumiko's body, he quickly pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head numerous times before pulling Syuusuko to join the reunion embrace.

Now they are complete, the Royal Family of the Seishun Kingdom has finally come back together. And nothing could tear them apart.

"I'm home, nii-chan, nee-chan. Thank you for not giving up on me." Kumiko said, tears still flowing from her eyes as she smiled blissfully at the warmth of her long-lost family. Kumiko felt her heart getting full and perhaps would have burst out from the overflowing love and devotion she felt. Her memories have returned, now she knew who she is, who her family is. She is the Princess from the Kingdom of Seishun, the only younger sister of King Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Tezuka Kumiko, that is her name.

"Welcome home, Kumiko. Thank you for coming back." Both Tezuka and Syuusuko whispered as Tezuka held his younger sister's face in his hand, both of them crying shamelessly even though they were smiling. Syuusuko stroked Kumiko's hair gently, whispering how glad they are to have her back and how they never forgot about her.

/

"Captain!" As soon as Tezuka's health and Kumiko's broken leg had fully healed, they decided that it is time to return to Seishun, as they had overstayed their welcome in Rikkai. Between that time, Kumiko had told her crew that although she may be returning back to the castle of Seishun, one day she would surely return to venture in the sea once more and told them to enjoy their freedom before she called them to gather once more. A lot of them had asked Kumiko to let them come with her to Seishun as they could not possibly be able to live normally without their captain, much of Tezuka's amusement and Syuusuko's admiration at their devotion. After Tezuka's permission, Kumiko happily accepted her crew to continue be by her side (although she did tell the children that they would have to go to school if they want to come with her when she sails back to the sea), the women had been placed as the children's caretaker as well as the castle's maids while the men, with their strength and loyalty, were placed as guards.

Though once did Tezuka said they were to serve Kumiko, only Kumiko, they also pledged their loyalty to the Seishun Kingdom, as it is her captain's home thus, their home as well; but they did tell Tezuka that if anything was to threat Kumiko's safety, they would only protect her, and her alone as they have yet to trust anyone just yet. Tezuka was fine with that, and from then on, Kumiko had to make sure not to strangle her men if they decided to loiter around. When they were about to left, Seiko had to make Kumiko promise her that she'd come again to visit as it would be very delightful to talk to her without any interruptions. Sanada had bid her farewell with strong pats on her shoulder and well wishes, as permission to come back any time either as the princess or as the pirate queen. When it was time to Akaya to say his farewell, he had stayed quiet, unsure of what to say before Kumiko offered her hand with a smile. Akaya had been trying to keep himself calm whenever Kumiko flashed that smile everywhere inside the castle, he had been avoiding that smile like a plaque, Yanagi would say. Ever since Kumiko remembered everything, Akaya had been more flustered around her and his family had been very amused to see it happen every time.

"Well then, I guess it is time for me to go. It was nice meeting you, _Prince_." Kumiko said and Akaya's face burned even redder than a tomato. It seemed Kumiko's habit of calling Akaya's title with a playful tone will never go away, and that might be the end of him if he could not hold himself back. Sure he had been attracted at first to the mysterious she-pirate that had saved him and his family, but as he continued to know her better, he seemed to be falling even further. Without any notice, Akaya opted to grab Kumiko's shoulder and pull her into a fierce hug before he released her and ran back inside the castle, leaving the Rikkai's King and Queen and servants stumble in giggles, chuckles and laughter.

"He was having quite a hard time, I was astonished he could held himself so." Sanada said chuckling before patting the miffed Seishun King.

"Forgive my son, but he had been in denial for quite some time." When both Syuusuko and Seiko's eyes met, both of them giggled and shook their heads. Kumiko could only shrug and gave Seiko one last hug before taking Tezuka and Syuusuko's hand.

"Let's go home!"

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**The End!**

**Fin!**

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**Thanks again for staying all through this everyone!**

**I'm afraid I have no more ideas as of what to do with this**


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